Not every early-round pick lives up to the hype. In fact, some of the biggest names in fantasy football end up being major disappointments based on where they’re drafted. To help you avoid costly mistakes in your 2025 fantasy football drafts, we’ve gathered insights from our collection of Featured Pros to spotlight the worst value picks by current ADP. Whether it’s due to injury risk, team situation, or inflated expectations, these players carry more downside than their draft position suggests. Before you’re on the clock, make sure you know which names to think twice about.
Worst Fantasy Football Draft Picks: Tight Ends
Who is the worst value pick at TE based on his current ADP and why?
Brock Bowers (TE – LV): TE1, ADP 18
“Brock Bowers is really good, REALLY good. But at 18th overall? C’mon. Bowers would need to replicate, if not better, his record-breaking season from 2024 in 2025 to be worth the price tag. While he will be the focal point for the Raiders in a new look offense spearheaded by Geno Smith, the Raiders did add to their pass catcher arsenal with Jack Bech and Dont’e Thornton. Will Geno pepper Bowers the same way the Raiders’ array of quarterbacks did in 2024, or will the offense be more balanced after the new WR additions and 1st first-round pick Ashton Jeanty? While Bowers will be great in 2025, the question every drafter will have is, can he do it again? He will have to, just to live up to his hefty price.”
– Ed Birdsall (Talking Points Sports)
Travis Kelce (TE – KC): TE5, ADP 89
“I hate to break it to you, but Travis Kelce is old. And when tight ends get old, they often lose their efficiency. He was 18th in yards per route run at 1.62 and 40th in yards after the catch per reception at 3.86. While Patrick Mahomes will probably still target him plenty, these underlying numbers do not translate to vastly outperforming his ADP of 89, especially given some of the tight ends who should be available later in the draft. I’m not putting my eggs in the basket of a 35-year-old tight end in 2025.”
– Kelly Kirby (FantasyPros)
Mark Andrews (TE – BAL): TE8, ADP 104
“The answer is Mark Andrews. We will see a regression regarding his high touchdown total, and as he ages and his athletic ability diminishes, Isaiah Likely will continue to flash and take more of the snap share. After the bye last year, Andrews averaged a 69% snap share compared to Likely’s 67%.”
– Joe Pepe (Beyond The Gridiron)
“I want no part of Mark Andrews in 2025 as the TE8. He was the TE10 in PPG last season and TE21 in expected fantasy points per game. He scored 11 TDs, which was the same amount as his two previous seasons combined. After his dramatic fall off last season outside of scoring TDs, I can’t be confident clicking the button on Andrews when he might not even emerge as the top tight end on his team by the time 2025 reaches its conclusion. Isaiah Likely’s breakout seems imminent, and the Ravens’ ascending tight end costs next to nothing to stash in fantasy drafts.”
– Andrew Erickson (FantasyPros)
David Njoku (TE – CLE): TE9, ADP 114
“Love David Njoku’s talent, but hate the situation. When a 40-year-old QB is the best QB on your team, things are not good. And if the Browns’ season goes south, they could turn to one of their youngsters sooner rather than later. That’s usually a recipe for disaster. Well, look at the bright side, Browns’ fans, at least you have Mark Ringo’s great jokes to carry you through the season, haha!”
– Mark Ringo (Sleepers and Busts)
“David Njoku at TE9 with all of the unknown at QB in Cleveland concerns me. We have seen the upside with him, but we have also seen the downside and the inconsistency. I would rather pieces on good offenses and with some certainty at QB. If you are going to wait on TE and draft a player with some risk, I would just keep waiting. Plenty of good players being drafted around Njoku when you can wait on a guy like Zach Ertz or Brenton Strange 4 rounds later.”
– David Heilman (Sports Gambling Podcast Network)
Tyler Warren (TE – IND): TE10, ADP 121
“The tight end rankings are pretty good at the top, but seeing rookie TE Tyler Warren at TE11 makes me really nervous. Not only do rookie tight ends generally take a while to pay off, but Colts TEs also have a history of being inconsistent for fantasy lately. I’m all for Warren as a player, but if I’m going with a late tight end, I’d much rather take a chance on a veteran like Tucker Kraft, Dalton Kincaid, or Jake Ferguson, all of whom are going after Warren right now.”
– Andrew Hall (FantasyPros)
Jonnu Smith (TE – PIT): TE14, ADP 139
“Jonnu Smith’s spot in the ADP significantly dropped following his trade to the Steelers. Yet, the veteran is still overvalued as the TE13 in ADP. Last season, he finished as the TE4, averaging 10.5 half-point PPR fantasy points per game. However, players rarely have a breakout year this late in their career and maintain that level of success. Furthermore, Smith will be on the wrong side of 30 when the 2025 season starts. More importantly, he has never been a reliable option for fantasy players in Arthur Smith’s offense. The veteran tight end has averaged 3.7 targets and 6.4 fantasy points per game in three seasons with Smith as the playcaller. Dalton Kincaid and Colston Loveland have a later ADP than Smith. Yet, I would draft both well before the veteran tight end.”
– Mike Fanelli (FantasyPros)
“Despite his move to Pittsburgh, Jonnu Smith remains a TE1. Even if his price dipped to, say, TE15, I still can’t draft him at that cost. Jonnu Smith’s upside in fantasy was quickly vaporized for 2025 with his arrival in Pittsburgh. We’ve seen what this looks like before. In 2023, when Smith was with Atlanta, he was the TE20 in fantasy points per game despite logging five weeks as a TE1 in fantasy scoring. He had a 57.9% route share (26th), a 13% target share (21st), 34.2 receiving yards per game (17th), and 1.67 yards per route run (12th, per Fantasy Points Data). Smith is a nice real-life addition for the Steelers, but he will likely only serve as a streaming tight-end option for fantasy purposes in 2025.”
– Derek Brown (FantasyPros)
Colston Loveland (TE – CHI): TE15, ADP 146
“Colston Loveland is an attractive asset in dynasty leagues, but taking him at 146 overall in a redraft seems like setting a draft pick on fire. Yeah, rookie tight ends have been popping lately, with Sam LaPorta and Brock Bowers finishing as fantasy TE1s the last two years. Those guys had relatively unfettered paths to targets. Loveland will have to compete for targets with D.J. Moore, Rome Odunze, Luther Burden, and Cole Kmet. The Bears’ offense should be improved this year, but second-year QB Caleb Williams might not be ready for liftoff. Loveland missed OTAs after having offseason shoulder surgery and might not be full-go when training camp opens, further clouding his Year 1 outlook. Best to wait a year on Loveland in redraft leagues.”
– Pat Fitzmaurice (FantasyPros)
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